Darkest Night

by James Cherry

  Carter glanced at his watch, cleared his throat, and said, “Sorry to interrupt but it is time to go.”

  “One more important detail,” Bo added. Once he had everyone’s attention, he continued, “Bring cash, your ID cards, and your passports.”

  Everyone nodded and moved quickly to their rooms to retrieve the requested items.

  Bo picked up the small duffel bag and tossed it to Marty. He said, “Give it back to me after we are finished with the guards.”

  ***

  Marty nodded in understanding and retrieved his wallet and passport, sticking them deep within his pants pockets. He then slung the bag over his shoulder and waited until the team returned from retrieving their items.

  Once everyone was gathered together again, Bo gave a signal, and the team followed him and Carter towards the exit. Suddenly Bo stopped the team with one upraised hand and whispered, “Wait here, Carter and I will take care of things.”

  Marty edged forward and peeked around the corner, watching in apprehension as Bo and Carter approached the two guards standing watch over the exit. He couldn’t help but to gasp as Bo unexpectedly stopped and shoved Carter into the wall.

  The two soldiers at the exit looked at each other in surprise, but did not break from their position.

  Carter yelled in fury and Bo retaliated with a left hook. Carter ducked the punch, lowered his shoulder into Bo’s mid-section, and rushed forward which forced the two men onto the floor. They rolled about on the floor for a moment before the guards finally left their position to break up the scuffle. One soldier grabbed Bo in a bear hug and the other grappled with Carter as they attempted to separate the two combatants.

  Suddenly Bo elbowed the soldier holding him, causing the man to stagger backwards in surprise. Bo followed through with a rear kick with such force that it knocked the soldier into the wall, his head smacking with a resounding thump, and the man slid down the wall unconscious.

  Carter quickly spun, sweeping his right foot out in a tight circle, knocking the legs right out from under the other soldier. The hapless man fell to his rear with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. As the soldier gasped for breath, Carter planted a foot squarely into the soldier’s neck and slammed him tight against the wall, choking the man until he turned a few different shades of blue and passed out.

  Marty was amazed at how quickly and efficiently the two ex-special operatives dispatched the guards. He moved closer, shrugging off a hand as it attempted to pull him back.

  “Marty, what are you doing?” whispered Ayako.

  Marty ignored her and hurriedly closed the distance to Bo and Carter, watching curiously as the men removed the uniforms from the unconscious soldiers. Once the soldiers were stripped, Bo and Carter donned the uniforms over the top of their civilian clothes with practiced efficiency. The guards had only been armed with a sidearm each, but Marty knew that was more than enough for the two former Special Forces operatives, as they were deadly weapons by their own right.

  After Bo and Carter strapped on the pistol belts, they placed the Kevlar helmets firmly upon their heads, and thus, completed their transformation into soldiers. Next, they drug the comatose men a short distance down the hall and deposited them into a janitor’s closet.

  Bo moved from the closet and signaled for Marty to join them. Perplexed, Marty hurried to the closet and cautiously peeked inside. A hand suddenly shot out of from within and grabbed him, which caused him to yelp in surprise.

  Carter hastily placed a hand over Marty’s mouth and said, “Give me the rope, quickly now.”

  As soon as Carter released him, Marty unslung the bag from his shoulder and reached within to retrieve the requested item. As he produced the rope, Carter snatched it away and hurriedly tied up the helpless guards.

  Seemingly satisfied that they were secure, Carter demanded, “The tape now,” and he held out his hand.

  Marty obliged, and fished the roll of duct tape out of the bag. Passing it quickly to Carter, he stepped back and watched as Carter ripped off a short piece of tape, placing one piece over each guard’s mouth. Once complete Carter stood, and without a word, hurried from the room leaving Marty standing alone. Marty stared at the unconscious guards, uncertain as to what to do next. A quiet call from the hallway snapped him out of his impasse, and he bolted out of the room to join his friends.

  ***

  Bo strode out of the exit to the facility, moving quickly and with purpose to the helipad. He could see that the helicopter had already arrived, and several solders were in the process of unloading, so he had no time to lose. Stopping the team behind a rickety storage shed, he waited until the last box was unloaded before sprinting to the helicopter and jumping inside.

  He maneuvered to the front of the helicopter, grabbed the pilot by the shoulder, and said, “I’ve got orders to take these civilians to the nearest civilian airport.”

  He turned and motioned to the others, and in response, they hurried to the helicopter. Carter helped Ayako, Marty, and Doctor Chin into the helicopter before jumping in himself.

  The pilot warily eyed the passengers and said, “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t given any orders about taking on passengers. I will have to confirm this with Colonel . . . “

  A pistol seemed to suddenly appear in Bo’s hand and the pilot’s eyes grew wide with trepidation as he stared down the barrel of the gun. The co-pilot attempted to flip a switch on the communications panel, but Bo reacted faster, firing one shot into the panel, which showered the cockpit with sparks.

  Getting the message, the pilot and co-pilot sank back in their seats in silent resignation.

  Bo waved his pistol and ordered, “Now, take off and get us to the nearest civilian airfield. No tricks, or I will just shoot you both, pitch your bodies out of this bird, and my friend here will fly this thing.”

  As if on cue, Carter peeked around Bo, grinning menacingly at the pilots.

  The pilot glanced up, nodded, and turned his attention to the controls. He increased the throttle, and slowly lifted the helicopter from the ground.

  As they gained altitude, Bo ordered, “Not too high, stay just over tree top height. I don’t want anyone tracking us with radar." The pilot nodded in return, indicating that understood Bo’s reasoning.

  After a half-hour flight, the helicopter landed at a small rural airport. Bo ordered the pilot and co-pilot out of the cockpit, and once they were clear, fired several rounds into the instrument panel. The controls suddenly went dead and the lights blinked out in response to the damage. He smiled at his handiwork, knowing that the damage would insure that the helicopter could not be used anytime soon.

  Bo and Carter then led the pilot and co-pilot to an office which was located deep within a hangar. Bo pushed the men inside and Carter securely tied both of them as Bo stood guard. Satisfied that they would not escape any time soon, Bo and Carter left the room, locking the door behind them.

  Bo and Carter then quickly shed their uniforms, peeling off the outer layer until they once again sported only civilian attire. The men then turned their attention to the hangar in order to examine the three planes contained within.

  Carter pointed to a small jet plane and Bo nodded in return. He watched Carter jog to the aircraft and perform a cursory examination of the outside. Seemingly satisfied, Carter then climbed into the aircraft and examined the interior. After a few moments, he stuck his head out of the doorway and thumped the side of the plane in satisfaction.

  Carter shouted, “Bo, let’s take this one, I just checked the fuel and it is full. This baby has a flight range of fifteen hundred nautical miles and can fly at three hundred and eighty knots. It has a passenger seating capacity of nine with plenty of leg room.”

  Bo frowned at the thought. “I didn’t think you were certified to fly a jet aircraft, I thought you were only certified to fly a Cessna? What makes you think you can fly such a beast anyway?”

  Carter laughed and said, “This is exactly the kind of Cessna I was talking a
bout. It’s a Cessna Citation Two and I have over five hundred hours of flight time in one of these babies. Let’s get going.”

  Bo shook his head in disbelief, but trusting Carter’s word, he walked over to the hangar doors and punched a button. The doors slid open with a clatter of metal and a high pitched screech of rusted chains. He turned and jogged back to the plane, boarding behind the others.

  Ayako, Marty, and Doctor Chin nervously settled in the passenger area as Carter sat down into the pilot’s chair. Bo took the co-pilot seat and strapped himself in.

  Bo clapped his hands together in anticipation as the plane's twin jet engines fired up. He said to Carter, “We should be thankful that this plane was left unattended and in flight ready condition. Basically, someone left the keys in it.”

  Carter replied, “Man, I am thankful that these small airports don’t secure their planes very well. They never expect someone to steal a plane.”

  Just as they began to taxi out of the hangar, a man in a blue mechanics suit darted in front of the jet. Carter hit the brakes, causing the plane to buck back and forth at the abrupt stop.

  Bo unbuckled himself from the seat and made his way towards the door. He unlatched the door, flung it open, and stuck his head out. Over the roaring engines of the plane, he shouted, “What the hell do you want?”

  The mechanic stood immobile in front of the plane with his arms crossed over his chest. He yelled back, “Who are you and why are you taking the Yoshida Corporation’s jet?”

  Bo paused for only a heartbeat as a sudden idea came to him. He yelled back, “We are the Yoshida Corporation, dumb-ass, now move.”

  The mechanic narrowed his eyes in suspicion and yelled, “The Yoshida Corporation executives are Japanese. You don’t look Japanese.”

  Bo replied angrily, “I am the hired pilot, jackass.” He turned to Ayako and Doctor Chin, motioning urgently to the pair. Ayako and Chin looked at each other questioningly, then unbuckled their seat belts and stood up. As they approached the door, Bo quickly relayed his plan. Ayako nodded in understanding and stuck her head out of the door in order to confront the mechanic.

  She yelled in her worst Japanese accent, “Why you a stopping us from flying?”

  Doctor Chin stuck his head out behind Ayako and yelled loudly, “I will have a you fired!”

  The mechanic’s face suddenly drained of color as he spied the two Asian’s. He quickly stammered an apology and backed away from the plane.

  Bo shut the door and slid back into the co-pilots chair. Everyone began to laugh in relief as Carter guided the plane down the runway.

  ***

  Carter had expertly flown the plane just above treetop level, in an effort to evade radar. As they didn’t have an approved flight plan or proper flight clearance, he had expected fighter jets to intercept them at any moment during the flight, but thankfully they made it to their destination without incident.

  Without proper landing clearance, Carter was forced to set the plane down in a large wheat field, just outside the city of Nashville. The landing was rough, and downright scary, but under Carter’s expert hands, the plane finally coasted to a safe stop.

  Carter used Bo’s cell phone and called a local taxi company. He asked for two taxis, and since they were in such a remote location, they had to wait for an agonizing hour for them to arrive. When the taxi’s finally arrived, the five members of the team split up and hopped into the waiting cars. Bo and Doctor Chin went for the first car while Carter, Marty, and Ayako entered the second car.

  The taxi’s zoomed off to the hospital, making good time. As they finally pulled up at the front of the hospital, it was well after dark.

  ***

  Bo paid both of the drivers, giving them a little extra as incentive to stay put. He then moved to stand with the rest of the team, who were gathered just outside the front doors.

  Ayako spoke first and said, “We are late, visiting hours are long since over.”

  Bo replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, we can get in with no problem.” He turned to Ayako and said, “Please go to the front desk and find out which room she is in. The receptionist will tell you that visiting hours are over so just tell her you want to know so that you can come back tomorrow. The receptionist should comply with that request.”

  Ayako nodded and replied incredulously, “Okay." She turned to the front door and went inside.

  Bo continued, “Okay, as for the rest of the plan, Marty, go talk to the taxi drivers and find out how much it will require having them wait on us for the next hour. Doctor Chin, I need you to stay with Marty. You have some money so pay the taxi drivers to insure that they wait on us. Whatever it takes, keep them here. Carter and I will perform a diversion so that Ayako can get in and speak to Mrs. Burch.”

  Ayako returned to catch the tail end of the plan. She arched one eyebrow in question and said, “What did I miss?”

  Bo retold the plan for the benefit of Ayako. She shook her head and grinned. “This is crazy. Why do you always have to do things the hard way?”

  Bo frowned and said, “If you have a better plan, let’s hear it.”

  Ayako chuckled and replied, “I told the receptionist that I was Doctor Masuda from the Nashville Mental Health Institute and flashed a badge that I had been given back at the military lab. She gave me a pass to see Mrs. Burch without question.” She added smugly, “I will be back soon with some information.”

  Bo laughed and smacked Ayako playfully on the arm. He said, “Damn fine plan Doctor Masuda, damn fine. Let’s do it then.”

  Ayako grinned, turned away, and quickly walked back through the front entrance.

  Marty scratched his head and said, “Well, I guess I will go ahead and talk to the drivers anyway, as we will need a ride to the airport once we find out where the Doc is going.”

  Bo eyed the bank across the street and said, "I guess I will go and empty my bank account. We will need the cash for our trip, as I have already used most of what I had on me. I only have around two thousand dollars in the bank though.” He turned to Marty and asked, “I don't suppose you have any money?"

  Marty replied, "Yes, I have the money that Ron paid me from the Mexico and Scotland trips. I have around five thousand dollars left.”

  Bo stared until Marty sighed and said, “Okay, I will go to the bank and see if they will cash my check."

  Bo nodded and said, "Let’s do this."

  Marty rushed over to speak to the drivers as Bo hurried to the bank across the road.

  ***

  As Doctor Chin waited with the taxi drivers, he shelled out another forty dollars each for them to continue to wait on his companions.

  Bo and Marty soon returned, grinning from ear to ear. Chin knew that the withdrawal of funds had been a success but he asked anyway, "Did you get the money?"

  Bo replied, "The military is a little slow. They should have frozen our accounts, but it appears that they haven't done so yet."

  Marty nodded in agreement and pulled a wad of cash from his front pocket in order to show Doctor Chin.

  Carter rushed to Marty’s side and grabbed his arm, forcing him to put the money back into his pocket. He growled, "Dumb ass, don't flash that much cash around here. You don’t want to attract any attention."

  Marty somberly replied, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly."

  Doctor Chin placed a reassuring hand upon Carter’s shoulder and said, "It's okay, there is no one around.” He glanced around one more time just to be sure no one saw Marty’s impasse before adding, “We have a bigger problem though, what are we going to do with these CD's?”

  Carter looked around as well, and seeing that Doctor Chin was correct, he visibly relaxed and said, “We should all split up and hide our copies.”

  "Yes, we need to do that in case one or more of us are captured. At least the evidence will be safe," Bo agreed.

  Doctor Chin was truly puzzled. He asked, "Just where am I supposed to hide a CD in a city that I am not familiar with?"


  "Use your imagination but just be sure to hide it where no passerby can just pick it up, preferably somewhere with a lock and key. Rent a locker at a bowling alley, train station, it doesn't matter. If you get a key, then hide the key somewhere. Don't keep it on your person," Bo explained.

  Marty said, "Damn Bo that is a lot of hiding. Hide the CD, hide the key. What if I forget where I hid something?"

  Bo simply stated, "Don't forget."

  ***

  Bo watched as the team split up to go in separate directions. Carter took one cab and Marty hopped the other leaving Doctor Chin to set out on foot to locate a suitable hiding spot.

  Once the team was out of sight, Bo returned to the hospital lobby and placed a call to Mrs. Burch's room. Once he had Ayako on the line, he relayed the team’s plan to hide the CD’s and hung up the phone. He then left the hospital and began to wander the streets, looking for a suitable hiding location.

  After wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, he passed by a post office, and an idea came to him. He entered the post office, picked up a small flat rate media box, and inserted the CD. He also hastily scrawled a letter on the back of an envelope, which contained explicit instructions to hide the CD in a safe spot. He then sealed the box and mailed the package to his third cousin in Florida. He hoped that this distant cousin would be someone with whom the Government would never think to check.

  Bo casually strolled back to the meeting area and awaited the rest of the team. Within the next half-hour everyone had filtered back to the meeting spot in front of the hospital. With all of the CD’s hidden, everyone seemed somewhat comforted by the fact that they were not carrying sensitive military data anymore.

  Ayako was the last to arrive. She rushed out the front entrance and approached the group.

  “Well, Mrs. Burch didn’t want to talk at first as apparently both the FBI and the military had been here looking for David. They had questioned her unmercifully as to his whereabouts and had her quite shook up, but she assured me that she had not told them anything.”